Real Life In The Night
by For You Blue
Summary: A one-shot/missing scene immediately following Young Justice: Invasion Happy New Year. Including a small, sweet moment between Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Dick/Babs. *One Shot*


_**Summary**_**:**

_A one-shot/missing scene immediately following Young Justice: Invasion Happy New Year including a small, sweet moment between Dick and Barbara. [Dick/Babs.] _

I hope you enjoy.

[Rated **T** for a suggestive scene]

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**Real Life In The Night. (A Young Justice: Invasion one-shot.)**

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**R**ichard 'Dick' Grayson smirked as he offered his hand to his protégé, "C'mon Short Round, I know how your dignity get's all flustered when you look like a drowned rat," the good looking young man struggled to keep a smirk, but laughed instead.

Tim pretended to scowl, but took the offered hand as Dick moved to help him into the Super-Cycle, but instead pulled the older superhero towards him with an even wider smirk than Dick had been sporting, there was a loud splash as Robin pulled Nightwing into the water beside him.

Pushing himself back up to the surface, Dick slicked back his now sopping wet dark bangs with a mock-glare at Tim as the surrounding superheroes observed, some of them laughing…a certain red-spandex clad Justice League member laughing much harder than he should.

"What? Our dignity all flustered now we're a drowned rat too?" Drake questioned with a raised brown.

Pulling a face at Robin, Dick promptly splashed water at Tim's face and grabbed the younger teenager in a noogie, as he dunked Robin back under the water.

-xxx-

_-__Mount Justice 01:00 hours January 4__th_-

Standing in front of the ensuite mirror in his quarters, with a white towel wrapped around his waist, Dick Grayson hummed to himself, running his left hand through his hair as he maneuvered a hairdryer around his damp, dark locks.

Opening up his unusually blue eyes, Grayson stared at his reflection and tilted his head slightly. The young man staring back at him was starting to look more like Dick's memory of his father every year. His real father, John Grayson, not Bruce…

At the memory of his biological father, Dick furrowed his brow and knitted his eyebrows…then the expression was a mimicry of the Batman. Quickly pulling his features back into a neutral position, Dick exhaled heavily and continued staring back at his reflection as he dried out his hair.

Dick had opted for spending more time living in Mount Justice over staying in the Wayne Manor, it was nice having that level of independence, especially after giving up the Robin mantle years ago. He was a man now. His _own_ man. The leader of his _own_ team.

The conversation with Zatanna and Rocket in the Justice League Watchtower, about a spot always open in the JL had been mute.

_Even if I feel I'm not happy in Young Justice anymore, I don't think I would ever join. Not unless it was absolutely vital, something happening to the big guns or if they absolutely needed my help._

Dick had filled in, once or twice, in JL missions. But it wasn't comfortable. It wasn't where he belonged right now. Mount Justice and his team were home.

Smiling slightly at his reflection, Grayson felt much better about the entire day. There were problems lying ahead, but Tim had proved himself a capable leader already, _Though I never had a doubt about that, well maybe a few. The kid needs to learn to relax a bit more…_

"Magic mirror on the wall…"

A soft, smoky-honey voice interrupted Dick's chain of thought, and the young man looked over his bare, scarred shoulder at the owner of the voice, leaning against the small, ensuite door entrance with a surprised smile.

"…who's the superhero with the best butt of them all?" Barbara Gordon cocked her head to the side as she teased, her beautiful red hair–tied back in a low side-braid–shifting slightly as she smirked at Dick, folding her arms across her plain, white t-shirt.

Dick let out a laugh and switched off his hairdryer as he turned, "Very funny, Miss Gordon. I bet you have a million of 'em," he made an exaggerated expression of mirth, putting the hairdryer back in its holder.

Barbara lent forward, her green eyes sparkling with mischief in her fresh, pretty features, "Making people laugh is your job, circus-ex-boy-wonder," she pulled an equally teasing expression of mock-amusement and Dick rolled his eyes.

"Spend one week undercover as a clown for Haly's two years ago and I'm branded for life by the most beautiful woman in the world. Do you not remember I'm meant to inspire awe as the world's _greatest_ acrobat?" Grayson bet his right fist against the left side of his chest with a heavy sigh as Barbara shook her head, "Ouch! You wound me, Miss Gordon."

Barbara straightened and looked up at Dick with a concerned expression, "Don't start." She said slowly, turning around and walking out of the ensuite.

Raising his eyebrows, Dick followed the red-haired Batgirl out into his quarters, "Start what?" He demanded, reaching out to put a hand on Barbara's shoulder to halt her, but the young woman had already turned around.

"You. Me. This. Us," Barbara elaborated, waving her hands between them and sighing heavily.

Dick pursed his lips, "Us? This? Me? You? Babs," he sighed heavily, pushing his right hand through his drying, dark bangs, "what's wrong?"

Rolling her green eyes, Barbara shook her head, glancing away before looking back up at Dick, "Since you're going to avoid the continuing issue, there's something else I wanted to talk about with you, it's really why I came," she walked over and sat down on the edge of Dick's bed.

With his natural, stealth-like grace, Dick moved over and sat down beside Barbara, who was looking down at her khaki coloured shorts, flicking absent-mindedly at a stud along the right pocket of the shorts.

"I've been thinking a lot about the future and the past," Babs raised her green eyes and glanced across at Dick, turning her seated position around to face him, "a lot has happened since I became Batgirl. I…I've always tried to keep a balance between Barbara Gordon and Batgirl, but lately…"

Barbara took Dick's right hand in both of hers, tracing her fingers along a long healed scar, "…lately I'm worried I've been defining everything I do as Batgirl," she explained, glancing up at Dick. "You've been in this game for nine years, Dick, how do you make that division between who you are and…well, who you've become?"

Resting his other hand atop Barbara's wondering fingers, Dick squeezed her hands gently, "I still struggle with that, figuring out who Dick Grayson is vs. what does Nightwing stand for. Nightwing is Dick Grayson, however Dick Grayson _is_ Dick Grayson, the last one is more substantial. It's like Alfred told me once:" Dick cleared his throat.

"_All the world's a stage and we are but merely players,_ _as the Bard once noted, Master Richard_," Dick put on his best English accent, making Babs giggle, "_however, Richard Grayson is real and tangible, he dons a mask in an effort to fight the evils of the world, but he does that out of the goodness and knowledge from the man _behind_ that mask._"

Babs nodded, "That…is exactly what I'm struggling with, being here, with you and the team it's…it's starting to feel like home. I had my brother James, but after he was taken away I never had a little brother or sister, now I have Cassie and Gar and Jaime. And I have older friends who are becoming more like brothers and sisters," Barbara removed her right hand and ran the back of it on the side of Dick's face, "and I have you."

Dick caught Barbara's wondering hand in his own and held it against his face, "You will always have me, Babs," he turned his head and kissed her palm, smiling at the surprised expression on her face, "now, about that continuing issue we've failed to address."

Barbara lent forward as Dick put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, "You mean the 'You. Me. This. Us' ?" She questioned, tracing the fingers of her free hand along Dick's muscular, battle scarred chest as they drew closer.

Dick nodded his head as he bent down to gaze into Barbara's eyes, "That is _exactly_ where I'd like to begin," he murmured as their lips met and Babs wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as they fell back down on the bed.

Gordon mumbled as she pulled back from the kiss, running her hands along the back of Dick's neck, the young man lent closer and smirked at her, "God…you know how sexy that smirk is, don't you?"

Dick ran his hand under Barbara's t-shirt and rubbed her right breast slowly, "I've learnt to only use it for good," he murmured, placing a kiss on the side of her neck, Barbara chuckled and pulled Grayson into a passionate kiss.

The young couple were keenly aware that this moment in night would not be long enough; and the morning might see the beginning of something new, while their roles as Nightwing and Batgirl continued to fight for justice and right.

But their real lives would go on lived as Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this and let me know what you think. (And yes it's a one-shot. Not enough fodder in YJ: Invasion to keep me going as of yet. ;) )


End file.
